Ranking the 10 best court-rushing games this college basketball season

Mar. 2, 2013
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by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

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Forget the personalities. College basketball has always been about the fans. And for students who eat, sleep and breathe their school's hoops team, there's no better way to celebrate than to participate in one of the game's most sacred rituals: storming the court.

This season, we've seen this normal occurrence take on a new, wheelchair-rolling life.

When should you rush the court? That depends. Some criteria would be beating the No. 1 team in the nation, topping your biggest rival in overtime on a last-second shot, breaking a historic streak, winning a conference tournament in a one-bid league. The list goes on and on.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's time to rank the season's best court rushes. Enjoy.

Honorable Mention: Baylor fan runs on the court mid-game (Jan. 30): In a down-to-the-wire Big 12 matchup in which Oklahoma survived Baylor 74-71, viewers witnessed a bizarre moment when a Baylor fan ran on the court too early. With 8:41 remaining in the second half, a young child ran out on the court as Baylor's Pierre Jackson was advancing the ball up the court. Officials immediately stopped the game. A man who looked to be the kid's dad ran after him and brought him back to their seats. Read thefull story here.

Honorable mention No. 2. Butler gets Butler'd (Jan. 23): La Salle gave the upset-savvy Bulldogs a taste of their own medicine in a 54-53 thriller and subsequently stormed the court. Read the full story here.

10. Virginia ups its NCAA stock vs. Duke (Feb. 28): In case you're counting, Duke makes this list three times. Coach Mike Krzyzewski was not particularly pleased after the Cavaliers' 73-68 win over the Blue Devils, worrying for his players' safety during the court rush. Read the full story here.

9. Maryland beats Duke (Feb. 16): If the Terrapins beat the Blue Devils, it's a given that it's worthy of a court rush, but with Duke ranked No. 1 (in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll) and Maryland a borderline NCAA tournament team, there's no way the 83-81 upset can't make the cut, especially when Terps coach Mark Turgeon shed tears afterwards.

8. Wake Forest gives Miami (Fla.) first ACC loss (Feb. 23): The Demon Deacons were near the bottom of the ACC pack, while the Hurricanes had yet to lose in conference action, beating Duke by 27 points earlier in the season. Yet Wake Forest dealt the then-No.2 Hurricanes their first loss since Christmas. Read the full story here.

7. Minnesota takes down Indiana (Feb. 26): Despite a hot start to the season, the Gophers didn't look poised to make an upset by any stretch of the imagination. Their struggles were on display in the previous two outings, a defeat by 21 points at Iowa and 26 points at Ohio State. But Minnesota proved the grueling nature of the Big Ten and the compelling unpredictability of this season with its 77-73 victory. The court-storming is rather significant because of the difficulty. The court at Williams Arena in Minneapolis is lifted so it required fans to step up before, you know, rushing. Read the full story here. And check out the court storm chronicled by this fan:

6. Illinois shocks Indiana with 0.9 seconds left (Feb. 7): The Illini's Tyler Griffey broke free on a grade school play and made a lay-up with 0.9 seconds left to give Illinois a season-saving 74-72 victory over the then-No.1 Hoosiers. Fans stormed and a sea of orange consumed the players. Read the full story here.

5. Villanova slays Big East juggernauts back-to-back (Jan. 26): After beating Louisville earlier in the week for a court storm, Villanova's encore was just as impressive, knocking off Syracuse. That's two wins against favorites to win the Big East. Not to mention both Louisville and Syracuse were ranked in the top-five that week. "It's kind of like you're in a night club with the lights on," the Villanova shirtless court stormer Tim Stuart said. Is there a better analogy for storming the court? Read the full story here.

4. Notre Dame survives 5-overtime marathon (Feb. 9): Typically, when the Irish beat Louisville it's not a serious reason to storm the court. But considering the game took over 3 hours and 40 minutes to end, a court rush was almost inevitable once Notre Dame prevailed, outlasting the Cardinals 104-101. Read the full story here.

3. Last-place TCU stuns Kansas (Feb. 6): The Horned Frogs entered the game with the worst record in the Big 12, while Kansas was the overwhelming favorite, but somehow, someway, the Horned Frogs shocked the Jayhawks with a 62-55 upset win. Afterwards, coach Bill Self called his team "the worst Kansas team ever." Read the full story here.

2. Miami slaughters Duke (Jan. 23): After a floor-slapping clobbering that no one saw coming against then-No. 1 Duke, Miami's fans had a number of different reasons to storm the court. No. 1: The Hurricanes beat Duke. No. 2: The Hurricanes beat Duke by 27 points. No. 3: The Hurricanes beat Duke by 27 points when the Blue Devils were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country. Also, it was a sign of Miami's ACC dominance this season. Read the full story here.

1. The Wheelchair court stormer (Jan. 12): By now, you know the story. As players were mobbed by students, ESPN analyst Dick Vitale pointed out that a fan in a wheelchair, most likely an N.C. State fan, joined in on the court rush. The wheelchair court stormer, Will Privette, was saved by C.J. Leslie in an epic tale.